The Beginning of the Neverending
by Solitude0913
Summary: This is the beginning of the cycle of the priestesses lives.
1. Death

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Chikane and Himeko. Wish I did though…

Summary: My nonetheless weird mind thought of a twisted way why Chikane and Himeko were chosen the priestesses.

A/N: Please go easy on me on this one. It's kind of my first time. Haha! Anyway, please read and review! I do hope you enjoy this. Oh, and by the way, this is going to be quite a long story, separated in short chapters. I do apologize but I have to write at my own pace, bear with me. Pretty please?

Chapter 1: Death

I still distinctly remember the first time I saw her…

It was hot outside. I was in the middle of the plaza, my ankle, wrists and neck chained to a thick piece of wood beside the horses. The hot sun beat mercilessly above, baking sand scorched my feet, and the smell of raw meat, foul fishes, camels, horses, the dead, the decaying, and the rotting lingered around me. People pushed and shoved. Most were drunk, some, though sober, acted no better, and the rest were just indifferent…or else they just had something better to do than notice that they were in the middle of a crowd.

This plaza, unlike most plazas, had no stalls. People walked around screaming their merchandise. It was constantly moving. Like an endless tide of people, walking around such a small space. Only my company stayed where we were. And that was only because our trade was the only one allowed to have a space, not a stall, of its own.

I was a slave. There were originally ten of us chained to that thick piece of wood. Before lunch came, all but me was sold. I couldn't blame them. Who would want me for a slave: thin, pale, too frail? The scorching sun seemed to have no effect for me. I was still as pale as the day my mother sold me to slavery.

I was nine when my mother sold me. We were dying of hunger then. She didn't have anything else to sell to feed me and my brothers. So she thought of selling me. She told me I will have food to eat and money to send home just as long as I am obedient. And you will find that I am unquestioningly obedient, almost to a fault, really. So then I thought it was a good idea. Well, she was right about one thing: I did have food to eat, if you could call the grub I eat every night since I was nine years old food.

Since my mother sold me, I've been on three households already, and they all gave up on me. It was too expensive to keep a sickly slave. And they were right. And so, to date, I have been sold four times already. Every time I was sold, it was harder and harder to find another buyer.

I was faint during that scorching afternoon that I met her. I haven't eaten for days, barely had any clothes, and I could swear the chains that were holding me were heavier than I am. I wanted to die then and there, but then I thought of home. I knew they were all waiting for me, or at least the money that I would send home.

I could barely see anything. My head was already swimming in a pool of hazy nothingness and I could feel that my knees were about to give in anytime. Cold sweat started running down my back. I was shivering in spite of the heat. I knew right then and there that I was dying…

And then, it happened… _she_ happened.

It was a short whisper, almost as if the wind itself was whispering something in my ears…

_Don't die yet… you can't die… You still have to save me._

It was crystal clear, yet almost too soft. In spite of my slight shaking, I willed my head around to try and find where the voice was coming from. I was thoroughly convinced though that it was just my imagination.

A wave of nausea hit me and I felt faint again. It was too much of an effort to keep myself from falling on my knees…

_Just a little more… I'm coming._

I couldn't understand why I was hearing that voice in my head. But somehow, I sensed the desperation in those whispers. I couldn't understand why I even believed that voice. It was just a voice.

_Look to your right…._

Involuntarily, I looked to my right. There was nothing there save for more people walking around, all in a magnificent disarray.

Do you see me?

This time, it was almost as if someone was screaming in my head. I couldn't deny the fact that someone indeed was saying something to me.

Suddenly, my heart started beating faster- so fast I could hear it…then I realized the heavy beating wasn't my heart at all…although my heart really was beating in the same cadence. It was a group of soldiers on horses.

Everyone cleared out to make way for the hurried soldiers. Being tied to the thick post, I really didn't have much choice. The soldiers rushed passed…and then something extraordinary happened. Time suddenly slowed to grinding halt as she passed by. Her cloak was suddenly pushed back by the wind that rushed through her. Something inside me was shattered. I didn't know why.

Her long silver mane flowed freely in the wind, her ice blue eyes looking steadily ahead. And then, for a split second, she did the unforgettable: she looked my way! For that shortest moment when our eyes met, I felt an icy chill run up and down my spine. For the briefest moment, the chains were warmer than anything I have ever known.

_Save me!_

It wasn't a hurried voice. It was too soft. But you can feel the need, the desperation. And then, as if out of nowhere, darkness took over me. I felt my knees buckle, a different kind of chill run down my spine. And then I was unconscious… but not before I heard the voice for the last time:

_I'll see you soon…_

Darkness.

*

When I was young, I thought dying was like an escape. I had envisioned death as a journey to a better place. That's what my mother said when my father died. She said he was in a far better place: a place devoid of hardships, of hunger, of grief. It was easier to accept then our loss. It was far easier to think that, finally, after a lifetime of toil, blood, sweat, and tears, among other things, he was finally at peace.

My father… He was a slave as I was. Unlike me though, he served faithfully and loyally only one family. Not that I was unfaithful and disloyal of course. I just served other families. Mother said he was born into his master's household and served them from the beginning to the end of his life. My father spoke of his masters so highly, with reverence and deep respect. However it did not escape my attention the new wounds and scars he had every time he goes home to us. He said it was their way of disciplining him. I thought it was absurd and when I voiced it out, my father's eyes went wild with fury. He said I should never speak ill of his masters for they feed us. "Barely…" I muttered then, and I was lucky he was in so much pain during that night that he did not hear my comments.

After that night, we were not allowed to even speak about father's masters. Three days later, father died. We never saw his body. Only mother was allowed to see father's corpse. She said father died a slave's death. We really didn't understand what she meant by that. I only remember the horror being suppressed in her eyes. For weeks after that, mother always had nightmares. It kept us up for most nights, until we got used to her screaming and frantic sobbing.

And so death… well. Death was loss for us and freedom for the dead. And I thought, as I died, why then do I still feel my chains? They were still very heavy and co-

Suddenly, I wasn't feeling anything. Suddenly, everything turned white. And then black. I saw flashes of pain. Yes, you read it right. I saw pain. I didn't feel it. I saw it whip straight through me, past me. Oddly enough, I couldn't feel it. It was just continually streaking past me. It even sounded like the cracking of a whip. Huh. I never really knew pain was something that can be seen and heard. I guess dying changes our perception of things.

So this is dying, I wondered. Not bad.

It just pained me to think that the last day of my life was also the day I would meet the most beautiful person alive.

But then… if I was dying… why is my heart beating strongly? Stronger than it ever did beat…

_**_

Her grip on the reigns tightened as she felt the continuous barrage of pain lashing at her back. It felt like someone was whipping _her_! She gritted her teeth. If it was as she thought then she had to turn around. But she needed a reason. She had to have a reason. Why should she go back?

Another flash of pain. The pain was beginning to annoy her.

Damn it all! At this rate, _she's_ going to die.

She pulled on her reigns, casing her horse to make a quick turnaround. She heard a voice behind her shouting. "Where are you going?"

She ignored the questioning looks as she rushed past and against the soldiers.

Her horse skidded to a stop before a tall, lanky man holding a long whip in his right hand. He was, in a word, disgusting. Long, greasy, black hair fell in disarray to his narrow back. Two scars nailed his right eye shut and his nose looked like it had been broken for ages. He grinned, showing sickening yellow teeth. He peered at the girl on top of the horse.

By then, her cloak covered half her face again.

"I will buy your slave." She said flatly.

"Too late, master. All my slaves have been sold." He answered with a grin.

Sickening.

"Then why is that one over there chained like a slave?" She asked, motioning to the lifeless body beside the seller.

"Well, that one _was_ a slave."

"You wouldn't mind, then, if I take the body? I need a toy" she said the last part with as much malice as she could muster.

His grin widened at her last sentence.

_Sick bastard_, she thought.

"By all means, master. Do as you please." He answered, eyeing her with sudden delight.

He hurriedly unlocked the chains that were holding the lifeless body beside him. He was about to carry the body to the back of the horse when she spoke up.

"Do not defile her anymore than you already have. I will carry her." She said, her voice suddenly cold and hard. It made the man flinch.

She got down from her horse and carried the body. Effortlessly and with so much ease that the man whose presence she suddenly forgot looked at her in disbelief, she mounted her horse, still carrying the lifeless body close to her.

She threw a silver coin to the ground and without so much as another glance, she raced away, holding tightly the most precious jewel in the world.


	2. Food

Disclaimer: Chikane and Himeko? Nah, not mine… Just borrowing.

A/N: Thank you so much for patiently waiting (I think). I'm so sorry it took so long. I had the craziest two weeks. This is just a filler chapter, but it is important that I put it here for reasons you will soon find out. Enjoy the ridiculously long filler! And as usual, reviews are very much welcome….I like it, I live from it. I cant live without someone criticizing me…because I consider it opportunities for improvement, don't you?

Chapter 2: Food

I was sitting in the middle of a field that stretched as far as my eyes could see. A gentle breeze swayed the rare and beautiful flowers that grew everywhere, randomly. The grass smelled of fresh dew. I really had no idea how I got there. I only remember opening up my eyes to the wondrous site. It felt really nice to be there.

_How long are you going to make me wait?_

Great! Even in death, that melodious voice still haunted me.

_Remember, you have to save me._

Who are you?

_Someone you need to save._

I'm dead now.

_Well then… LIVE!_

It was almost laughing, the voice. I really didn't know what was funny. But the voice in my head sounded too amused, like it found something entertaining about my death. The desperate call was gone, only to be replaced by a sudden lightness…like it was excited.

_Live! _It cried out. It echoed in my head, each resonance louder than the last until finally, it was so loud, I had to force my eyes shut.

The voice then suddenly became quiet.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a small room.

**

"Finally, you're awake."

From somewhere in my mind, I know I've heard that voice. I sat up weakly. My eyes went from hazy to clear and then back to being hazy from one moment to the next but I could definitely see a silhouette of a person from across the room. I blinked twice before my eyes finally settled and cleared…and my heart made a sudden lurch!

It was her!

The long, silver mane, the icy blue eyes…it couldn't be anyone else. I wanted to say something but my mouth was too dry. So I settled for looking at her. The moonlight coming from her left gave the illusion like she was glittering. Her silver hair certainly bounced off some of the light and she looked like she had a halo around her. She looked like an angel really. Her pale skin seemed as fragile as porcelain. Her blue eyes twinkled in the sunlight.

I could feel my heart racing as her gaze slowly came to me. Her gaze penetrated me, like she could see right through me. It became so unbearable to meet her gaze that I had to look away. And that was when I noticed my surroundings.

I was in a very large room, sitting in the middle of a very large bed. The light from her left came from the open veranda. There was a huge fireplace to her right. Despite the size of the room it was almost empty, save for a table, a huge chair, and what seemed like the closet. Two doors were at her farther right. The room itself could have easily fit my house in and still have space for my brothers to run around.

Something mouth watering caught my senses…and then, as if on cue, I heard my stomach grumble. For a moment, I thought I was the only one who heard it. Until, to my great embarrassment, the angel spoke up.

"If you can, please eat."

She motioned to the table to her right where there was a great mound of food.

I tried to say something but my throat was too dry. So I settled for just nodding my head. I moved to get out of bed when it hit me. Pain beyond words sliced through my back and straight into my head. I gasped.

All of a sudden, I felt cold hands to my chest and the back of my neck. I shivered at the contact, but pain overtook my senses. There was slight pressure to my chest pushing me back down to the bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, the cold hand supporting my neck was gone. I glanced up.

If she was stunning from afar, I didn't know what else to describe her up front.

There was something eerily beautiful about those cold blue eyes. I searched for any kind of emotion there, but there was none. Surprisingly, it only made me want to look more. By instinct I knew there was supposed to be something there…like I'm supposed to find something warm in the frozen dessert that is her eyes. As if I really had any choice, I stared at her. It was only then that I noticed that, if seen up close, her eyes were actually purple around the edges.

"You need food. You need rest. I'm just not quite sure which one you need the most."

Honestly, I heard what she said, but my mind didn't really register what she said. I was faintly aware that I was still staring at her stupidly with my mouth hanging open, until she touched my jaw and gently pushed it up to close my mouth. I swallowed. I could feel something burning in my throat, my chest, my stomach…and my cheeks.

"I'm guessing that means you need food" she said, still touching my jaw. She had a small smile playing on her lips, an amused sort of smile.

Yes, I was still staring. Please understand, if you were in my position and you were looking at someone as magnificent as her, you would be lost for words as well. You wouldn't really be able to do anything else but stare, swallow, stare a bit more, and swallow what saliva is left on your already drying mouth.

Her face was really like that of an angel, soft and hard at the same time, beautiful and deadly. She looked like she could take you to heaven, hell, and back to heaven in one instant, and you'd never even notice.

"Please, eat."

Once again, I really didn't understand her until she motioned to the food that was already sitting beside me. She helped me sit up, and immediately I winced as the pain on my back struck again. She must have noticed it because she immediately wrapped her hand on my shoulders to lessen the pressure on my back.

Needless to say, the proximity made my breath hitch, causing slight nausea and weakness; although I also know that the aforementioned symptoms can also be because I was really hungry. But for me, it was her hand, her smell, her hair, her presence – what the hell am I thinking?

"Clearly, I may not be getting through to you. I don't think you can understand me, can you?" She looked at me. I stared dumbly back. Now that I think about it, I want to hit my head with a sledgehammer.

"I guess that means you really don't understand me." She said this more to herself than to me although she was still looking at me. She sighed once and then got up.

My mind started to panic. Every breathing moment, she was getting farther away from me. I wanted her to stay close although I really don't understand why. Well, I didn't understand back then.

I started scrambling for the appropriate words, and when I did find my voice, I said the first thing I thought of.

"Who are you?"

She stopped. "What?"

It was then that the stupidity of my actions hit me. Obviously, I was saved by this regal angel, given lodging, was being offered life-giving, life-nourishing food…and all I could say in return was "Who are you?"

"Umm… What I meant to say is…was… umm… that… umm." Hit me, please.

She turned around. "Himemiya. Himemiya Chikane."

And once again, I was lost.

"What?"

"You asked for my name. I gave it to you." She said simply, like it was only natural for me to ask the question.

"Oh" I laughed weakly. "Right." Hit me harder, please.

Perhaps sensing my sudden apprehension, she immediately turned my attention to the waiting food beside me. "Now that I'm sure you can understand me, please eat. I am sure you have more questions and I will be glad to answer them as best as I can, but you need to eat first."

She lifted the plate to my lap and watched me with a silent smile. I began eating.

It wasn't really easy eating while someone was watching you. But when it was someone like her watching you, it was about a million times harder. But I didn't want her to notice that it was awkward because she might leave, so I finished my food as quick as I could.

I pushed the plate away. "Thank you." I whispered. I wasn't too sure if she heard me because she still had that smile on her face.

"Thank you…" I repeated a little louder.

But she was still smiling at me. I really didn't understand it.

Suddenly she was inching closer to me. My heart was beating wildly, threatening to burst anytime soon. Her face was so close, I could hear her breathing. She leaned in closer. I closed my eyes.

Please do not ask what I was thinking back then, I had no idea. Closing my eyes was the only thing I could think of doing.

"There. You can lean back now. Hopefully it won't hurt your back too much."

I opened my eyes and saw that she was sitting at the edge of the bed, her hand motioning to something behind me. I looked back and saw that she re-arranged the pillows so that I can sit and lean my back on them.

"Thank you." I muttered, embarrassed. I leaned my body back slowly, until I found a position that didn't hurt my back so much.

As soon as I leaned back, she grabbed the plate from my lap and stood up.

"Wait. Please. I –" I started to say before she cut me off.

"You need rest. I understand that you are used to serving other people. But allow me to serve you, please." She said as she gracefully walked to the table where the greater amount of food sat. "Besides," she added, "I highly doubt you can even climb out of my bed."

Her bed?

"But…master…. I – "

Again, she cut me off.

"Master?" she scoffed, "No. You are not a common slave anymore. You will not be like everyone else." Her tone went surprisingly angry, agitated. But it lasted for only a moment. Suddenly, her voice was softer, gentler. "To you, I am Chikane or Himemiya, whichever you would please."

I remained quiet. I really didn't have much to say. Yes, there were a million things, questions, running in my head but I didn't want to ask them. I just didn't think it was nice to suddenly ask questions. So I just sat there, looking at her, trying to figure her out.

Himemiya Chikane. The name felt good as it echoed in my head.

Himemiya Chikane

Himemiya.

Chikane.

I watched as she gracefully walked to the open veranda. Suddenly, the clouds cleared and moonlight flooded the room, and she was bathing in it.

It was the most heartbreakingly beautiful sight I have ever seen. Her eyes were closed as she raised her head to the moon. Her hands were clasped behind her. She seemed to have forgotten about me. Which was just as well, because I must have forgotten about everything else as I stared at her majestic figure.

I guess I really needed rest, because a few moments later, I felt my eyes beginning to get heavier and heavier. My vision blurred.

The last thing I saw before everything went dark was her figure…her beautiful sight, bathing in the moonlight. At that point, I was pretty sure I would have nothing but dreams about her, of that moment…

**

She turned around after a few minutes. There was a precious, fragile princess sleeping in her bed. She had on a tiny smile on her lips as she slept.

She wondered what the princess was dreaming about. She didn't need to wonder too long though.

"Chikane-chan…" the princess muttered.

She smiled inwardly. But then, her smile faded away instantly, only to be replaced by an immense sadness. If only the princess knew…

She shook her head.

She cannot be thinking of these things now. What was important was that her heart was beating where it was alone before. What was important was that she was alive. She was safe. She was smiling.

Everything else can wait.

Everything else is unimportant.

Everything else…is mere nothing.

She is everything…her everything.

_My everything…my life._ Sadly, once again, she sighed. _If only…_

A/N: okay.. don't kill me please… I was really really really really busy. Gomenasai!!!


	3. Things that Matter

I know… I know… I owe you guys too much… I love the comments, they are inspiring, and call me greedy but I need more!! More I tell you!!

But, seriously, thanks very much for waiting.. it wont be long till I update this one. Had a very long writer's block and I couldn't write a thing!!

By the way, as to the exact time when this all happened, I can't really tell you now… You'll know soon… very heavy hint though, it's the beginning…

And, uhmm, it gets a bit more confusing here, especially because we will dive a bit into Himemiya-sama's psyche… hahahaha!

Anyway, here goes…

Chapter 3: Things that Matter

The Hall wasn't really a hall. Sure, it had round pillars, but where they started and where they ended, no one knew. Far away, thunder rumbled, but then again, thunder rumbled everywhere. Storm clouds hovered over everything, on all sides, from one horizon to the next. It was, in a word, endless.

Nevertheless, there they met: different characters, all from different walks of life, bearing different kinds of pain.

_Our time is here and now. Nothing, no one can stand against us. Soon…very soon my friends, we will give back the pain they gave us. Think of all the times you were hurt. Think of all the times you were mistreated, focus on the pain, and it will make you stronger. Your pains make us all stronger!_

They murmured their agreement, intent on giving back as much as or preferably more than what they were given.

_Soon…very soon._

It echoed all throughout their hearts. This is their dream. Revenge is all that they craved for. Revenge is their healer. Hatred is their power. And the hatred, the pain, only fueled their burning desire for revenge…

***

I woke up with the sickest sensation…like I never want to wake up. I didn't want my dream to end. I knew at one point that by the time I open my eyes, I would wake up to the horrible truth that everything beautiful was just a dream. And why shouldn't they be? I cannot afford to have something so beautiful! Who am I? Am I not just a slave, and a pathetic one at that?

I could sense the warm sun creeping up my arms but I didn't want to open my eyes. I knew my nightmare would begin and I would spend the rest of my life wishing I would dream the same dream over and over again…and knowing that I can never dream that way again.

"I know you're awake…"

…that voice… Good, I'm still dreaming. I felt a smile slowly forming on my lips.

"I know how tempting it must be to stay in bed all day long. I worry, though. You have been sleeping for too long. You must be getting sick of my bed."

I could feel her presence lingering beside me…but I still didn't want to open my eyes. I was still afraid that she would vanish, to be replaced by miserable monsters and slave drivers.

"It must be true what they say then…" she was moving closer, I could almost smell her…and it was an intoxicating smell…

"The hardest person to wake up is the one who feigns sleep."

I smiled. "If I open my eyes, master, will you disappear?"

I heard her sigh. "I gave you my name. Please use it." Her voice was stern, but not cold. "And no, I will not disappear. However, if you call me master one more time, maybe I will…maybe."

My eyes involuntarily snapped open. For a heartbeat, my heart clenched in fear only to be replaced, a thundering heartbeat later, by relief. I heard her laughing. And believe me; nothing is more beautiful than that sound.

"Ah, there you are, purple-eyed sleeper." Her head was tilted to the side, her lips curved in an amused smile. She pushed a stray lock of hair away from my face and smiled even more. "And now I can see you more clearly."

She spent the next few minutes just staring at me with the same serene smile she almost always had. And I…wish I stared back. I averted my eyes to look at something less…intense- like maybe the windows, the curtains, the bed sheet…which was crumpled up. (I proceeded then to start smoothing the bed sheet out)

She cleared her throat.

"Are you feeling better now?"

I nodded. I could feel heat coming out of my cheeks. I pulled the sheets up to hide my cheeks and forced myself to look somewhere else.

"Good." She straightened herself up.

It was only then that I saw what she was wearing. Unlike the first time I met her (she was wearing a cloak then, and the next time, it was much too dark and I was much too distracted to even look at what she was wearing) she was now wearing a simple white, sleeveless dress. Well, at least it would have looked simple – rather it should have looked simple—if someone else wore it. But since she was wearing it, it looked elegant. I've seen my previous mistresses wear something more expensive, but no one ever looked good as she looked now.

I wonder if the Empress can look this good if she wore the same dress.

Her long, silver mane flowed freely behind her, some strands falling on her face, on her shoulders, and continued on like a silver river down to her back.

"Can you stand?"

I wasn't listening.

She cleared her throat.

It may be apparent, now that you have been reading this far, that I lose all forms of consciousness on all sensible levels when she's looking at me, within my line of sight, or else close to me. So it will not be then surprising that I still can't quite understand her musical…questions…question. No matter how simple they may be.

"Please. Can you stand?"

She held out her hand to me.

I must have looked really really stupid. I know for a fact that I stared at her hand for the longest time. Like every part of her, it was regal: long, smooth, and no visible veins. And the way she held her hand out to me… Sometimes I think it's unfair for someone to posses so much grace that the slightest gesture, like holding out one's hand, would be so captivating. It was like a fancy move in a solo dance. It was, in a word, wonderful.

And I don't want to destroy something so beautiful. I nodded my head and slowly dragged myself out of her bed, painfully ignoring her waiting hand.

**

To be the most powerful meant you will never bow to anyone else. To be the most powerful meant you have to be the best. And for all her life she had been the best. Any new task, anything from something as simple as writing to something as complicated as planning a full scale attack on an obviously bigger country with an obviously more powerful army, was just a matter of a few deep thinking or a few practice sessions. She had been excellent on all forms of studies, all skills that can be learned throughout her life, she learned and mastered. Thus, she became the best. Thus she became powerful. But she had also long since realized that she will have everything save the one she wanted the most. And the one she wanted the most was so precious, so highly valuable-- no, not valuable: _priceless_—that she was prepared to lose everything for it, although _it_ is not necessarily the correct term.

One has to wonder though: why is it that in all her power and her excellence and her intelligence and her upbringing…why can't she even seem to communicate properly to _her_?

"Please. Can you stand?" She repeated, gingerly holding out her hand. She wasn't really used to extending this much effort into being understood. But it was _her_! This shouldn't be an effort at all. Clearly, though, _she_ didn't trust her.

The girl was looking at her hand like it was something she needed to investigate, like she knew there was nothing good that would come out of taking the extended hand.

But her patience was slowly paying off. There was a slight change in the other girl's eyes; like she had seen something…wonderful. It was a small twinkle, hardly noticeable, in her sparkling amethyst eyes.

Those eyes…were not the eyes of servants.

She should know. She had been among servants all her life. Every waking moment, she was followed by a train of servants, or soldiers. And they had the same dull, lifeless eyes: Obedient, faithful, loyal, yes, and all lifeless. It was as if their life had been replaced by dedication, courtesy and the art of being invisible while being blatantly visible.

And to think that _she_, with those beautiful amethyst eyes, should suffer the same fate as those around her. No!

She doesn't quite understand the annoying feeling forming within her. It was like she wanted nothing more than to make sure she is safe and happy and protected…and always smiling. She knew she had left so many things to do, but for once, she felt selfish: like she needed sometime, or a lot of time, to be alone…but with her. What was it about this girl that was driving her to do the craziest things?

That day, when she was hurrying towards the town plaza, it was out of sheer whim. There was no official reason to be there. She just wanted to run around and do something senseless for once, which of course didn't make sense. But at that moment she actually didn't care.

From far away she had seen her: golden brown hair, pail skin, fragile composure. The first thing she thought about was why someone as beautiful as her was chained like a slave, next moment she knew, she was getting closer and closer to her. And she couldn't keep her eyes away from her. She was surprised then when the girl looked at her and followed her sight. A small tinge of embarrassment clicked on her and she diverted her stare. And at that exact moment she felt pain lashing at her back. Oddly enough, she knew why.

And when she stopped and turned around, her mind was racing with a million thoughts and all of them revolved around saving the dying, half-naked slave chained in the middle of the plaza under the scorching heat. Something inside her snapped and then nothing made sense. All sense of proper decorum flew right out the window and burned against some sort of fire that was raging inside her. This fire, spreading violently inside her forced her to question all that she knew and all that she believed in and all that she was used to.

And why should her heart beat so erratically whenever she looked at her?

If she searched deeper, if she accepted things as they were, she knew that she didn't need to ask. She knew she wasn't confused at all. She knew the answer to all her questions. But it was an answer she will never tell anyone, not even the girl in front of her.

_If only things were different…maybe then…_ She stopped her train of thoughts right then and there.

_She_ was standing up.

She noticed that the girl (whose name she was yet to inquire about) didn't even take her hand. To someone else, it might have seemed rude, but for her, it was just as well. The way her mind was working right now, there really was no telling what she could do if the girl took her hand.

Instead, she placed her hand behind her.

She was about to say something when a soft knock on the door interrupted her.

"My lady," a small voice behind the door said, "your guests have arrived. They await you at the dinner table."

Just in time, as always.

"Please tell them I will be there shortly. Also, have Otoha-san come here and look after my friend." she answered quietly.

Another voice at the door was heard. "My lady, I am here."

"Come in, Otoha-san"

A tall woman walked inside, head bent down, as all servants are to do. This woman, Otoha-san, however, had a distinct air around her: a certain ferocity that repelled everyone save those who knew her well.

She turned to the woman who just walked inside. "Otoha-san, I am leaving my friend in your care. Treat her as you treat me. She will need food, clothing…and she needs to take a bath. The wounds on her back have not quite healed yet, and those need immediate attention. Also, she is badly starved and parched. See to it that she is comfortable and well taken care of."

"Yes, my lady." the woman answered flatly.

"I will see you later, my friend." She heard a small tinge of sadness in her otherwise cold voice. It felt awkward to turn her back. But then she took the seemingly long walk out the door.

**

_What you want to do, what you plan on doing, is not fair. What have they done?_

If only I had the power to stop the wheels of fate from turning, maybe I could answer your questions.

_Nobody deserves to suffer so much. You of all people know that! It is a deadly and vicious cycle that you will start._

I did not start anything! I only offered a solution…

_And is that the best that you can do? _

If you have anymore suggestions, I will gladly accept them.

…

I thought so. Please understand. If there was any other way, if there was anyway, any solution that would rank a little lower than this, I would take the risk and use that. But you know as well as I do that there is no other way.

_One day, we will both regret this decision. We will both change our minds. We will both regret the moment we let our logic rule over our emotions… But you are right. And I regret that you are right._

_I have watched them all my life. I have taken into record every little detail of their every moment. I have seen them smile. I have seen them despair. And they are two opposite kinds of strength. I admire the weakness covered under too much strength and the strength buried beneath tons of weaknesses. Indeed they are perfect. Even now as I watch them, I can never find two people more devoted to each other…and they are not even aware of it._

They will find a way…I know they will. And I hate to be the one standing against them when the time comes that they fight for their freedom. I pity the god who would try to stop them.

_Indeed…_

_**_

The day passed like it would normally: meetings with prominent people, power-hungry, greedy, leeches, civic duties, smiling, waving, acting important. Everyone stared at her like she was something they adored or they envied, mostly both. And she was getting pretty sick of it. But she held her serene expression and never wavered in her quiet responses. She felt like the most powerful prisoner in the world, a slave to society's norms. _If only they knew…_

Freedom? Oh she was free… Free to be what everyone wanted her to be. Of course that's not much of a freedom, but it's all she can afford right now. Behind her power, she was not much of anything else. Sure she was smart, and talented, and graceful, and simply extra-ordinary, but take away the glamour, the glitter, and the spotlight of fame…and all that's left of her is her being…nothing.

This, more than anything else, she knew and realized before anyone else started thinking about what they should do in their short, pitiful lives. She knew that one day she would just be another page, another chapter, perhaps even a footnote on the grand scale of time. And maybe she will change lives, maybe she will change the way the future is written, and maybe if she tried hard enough, she could even gain eternal glory…but she also knew that there was nothing else she could change. She will always be a slave to society. And she can change the world and set it free…but she will always be chained.

Freedom…

One night, many years ago, she was walking alone, along the long marble hallways of the palace that is her…house. It was quiet and dark, but she could hear the guards walking silently, on patrol. She avoided them quite easily for she was small and agile. She took the shortest route towards the garden, ran as fast as her legs can carry her and found herself in the middle of the garden, surrounded by tall hedges. She knew no one would see her there without her hearing them approaching first.

She had memorized every turn of the mazelike garden and found herself twisting and turning until she found the tall oak tree she loved to sit under. No one actually cared about the oak tree, but she loved it. And it was her secret hiding place for no one knew how to get to the oak tree on the west wing of the garden, only her.

So she was quite surprised when she found a small girl, lying under the oak as if sleeping. She decided to just go back when she heard a tiny voice behind her.

"Please don't go. I'm scared…"

She stopped and slowly turned around.

The girl was now standing, and looking at her. In the darkness, she could hardly see what the girl looked like. However she noticed that the girl was smaller, too thin, and looked like she was about to break into pieces anytime.

"If you cannot lead me home, then at least stay with me until it is bright enough for us to start finding the way back home…please?"

She knew the way back to the palace. She knew that all they needed to do is go straight, take a left, and then a right and just follow the hedge until they reach a stone pillar. Walk fifty paces, take a right, another right, and go straight and it will lead them to the kitchen where a tiny hole will lead them into the armory, where they can sneak past the guards, walk the long hallway past her parent's bedroom, and silently open the door to her bedroom.

It sounded simple for her.

But she stayed. And for the first time in her entire life, she actually had…fun! Under the moonlight, they ran around the tree, chased each other, talked about the silliest things, and shared everything…save their names. For once in her life she felt like she mattered not because she was smart or beautiful or powerful, but because she was a little girl playing. For the first time she laughed without reserve and crumpled her face without feeling disgust. For the first time she ran because she didn't need to, but because she wanted to. She felt needed, loved. Free!

For the first time, she knew how it felt to be human, ordinary, weak.

Finally, they fell asleep, she was leaning her head in the lap of the smaller girl. Oddly enough she felt safe—safer than she has ever felt in her life. And when it was bright enough for them, they started walking out of the garden. Of course she took some time and pretended she didn't know which way to go.

The sun was halfway up in the sky when they finally reached the edge of the garden. By that time, the girl was half-scared out of her wits, half tired, and very sleepy.

She led her out to the secret entrance/exit and gave her directions on how to get to town. She offered to take her to town herself, but the girl declined and insisted she needed to go.

She asked if she would return and the girl hurriedly promised she would try to get lost again.

She waited that night, but the girl never came. And for many nights after that, she waited and waited. Thus she began to spend most of her nights, when time permitted her, out under the oak tree, waiting for the girl to return. She never did get her name…she only remembered…her eyes.

Something cold ran down her back that made her shiver in spite of herself.

_Could it be…?_


End file.
